Dylan Fink | Sports Writer
Baylor women’s golf is set to begin its season next week with the Folds of Honor Collegiate Invitational tournament.
The Bears ended last season on a high note, making a fifth consecutive national championship appearance. The team returns three players who competed in the national championship: seniors Bridget Boczar and Silje Ohma and sophomore Malena Castro.
The team saw a good amount of roster turnover with the arrival of high-impact transfers in juniors Charlotte Brook and Yurang Li, as well as incoming freshmen Amelia Wan and Obi Chan.
“We have a whole half of a new team, but I’m excited to get some new players in,” head coach Jay Goble said. “Every year brings some different challenges and personalities, but I’m really enjoying this group.”
Goble sees the use of the transfer portal as an opportunity to strengthen his already talented team.
“[The transfer portal] is a mixed bag,” Goble said. “The way people look at it, I see it as a good thing. You can see what these players have done at the collegiate level before you bring them in.”
Brook, a Poole, England native, transferred to Baylor after playing two years at Division II Lynn University. In her freshman year, Brook earned Division II Freshman of the Year honors. Li, an Illinois transfer, is coming off a win at last year’s Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, securing her a spot in the upcoming Canadian Women’s Open.
As the Bears prepare for their season opener at the Folds of Honor Collegiate, Goble wants his team focused only on what they can control.
“You can only control what you can do individually, so I try to have my players focused on taking care of their business,” Goble said. “If you control what is in front of you, you can benefit the team.”
To maintain the success that Baylor Women’s Golf has seen in recent seasons, the golfers are focused only on what they can control. They are also focusing on improvement.
“If we can improve a little bit each day from September to May, [we will] be ready to compete in the national championship again,” Goble said.
The team is heading into its first tournament with a highly skilled group. Goble said he expects Ohma, Boczar and Castro to all qualify, with freshman Wan and either Brook or Li filling in the last two spots for the invitational.
Wan will be a fresh talent for the Bears’ first tournament this year, having competed for the English national team since 2022.
“All of our players have played in big moments before,” Goble said. “For Amelia, the moment will not be too big for her.”
Coach Goble is approaching the beginning of this season with excitement for what the team could be when May comes around. Heading into Folds of Honor, Goble simply wants to see how the team performs to start the year.
“On paper, the team looks good, but you don’t really know exactly what you have until you get out there and compete,” Goble said. “We’re talented and we could win this week, but the goal is to see where we’re at.”
The Folds of Honors Collegiate Invitational will be held Sept. 8-11 in Grand Haven, Mich.